Chapter 6

6

JAXON

Aria stopped by for lunch the next day and I didn’t waste a second before stepping into my role of fake fiancé. Or soon-to-be.

“If we’re going to pull this off, we need to practice. Otherwise, it will look forced and fake. Wouldn’t you agree?” I hide my smile by tucking my tongue inside my cheek. Aria looks clueless until a light goes off in that pretty little head of hers.

With her hands resting on her hips, where mine itch to be, she snips. “You’re joking, right?”

“Not in the least. I’m dead serious. We do not want our first kiss to be the night I propose in front of all your coworkers. Not if we want to convince them that we’re really together. Time is ticking and we only have five days to prepare. No pressure, just something to think about.” I head into the kitchen to give her some time to mull it over.

I start unpacking my groceries that were just delivered, trying to keep myself busy. After placing all of the cold stuff in the fridge first, I open my kitchen cabinets and finish putting everything else away. After tossing the paper bags into the recycle bin, I glance at the clock on the microwave. Great, that took all of seven minutes. Now what?

When she walks into the kitchen, I’m relieved I won’t need to busy myself until she makes her decision. Truth is, it didn’t take her as long as I thought it would.

“Wouldn’t it be less awkward if we just got caught up in the moment?” She’s got to be kidding.

“You’ve known me for a long time, and I consider you a good friend. With that said, I’ve never tasted your lips, threaded my fingers through your hair, or held you so damn close that I felt every curve. So, take my word for it. We won’t fool a soul if we don’t practice beforehand.” I’m stunned when I’m suddenly standing in front of her without realizing I moved while we were talking.

She’s biting her lip when my hand lands on her hip, bringing her closer. While the other clutches the nape of her neck with a possessive flare. She sucks in a breath and before I change my mind, I lean down and capture her lips with mine. Instinct kicks in and my tongue tangles with hers. All inhibitions are thrown out the window as my mouth steals her every breath. As my dick instantly comes to life.

She whispers on a breathy moan, “Jax.” Which is all the encouragement I need to keep going.

This certainly doesn’t feel like we’re practicing, since it’s as effortless as walking. With her heart beating in perfect sync with mine, I cup her face and nip her lower lip. When she grabs my wrists, I assume I went too far. Until her eyes flutter open and her tongue flicks across the sting. When she doesn’t pull away, I glide my thumb along the wetness her tongue left behind before slanting my mouth against hers.

We’re a tangled mess as our slow kisses become volatile and explosive. Our teeth clash, tongues dance and curl as our breathing becomes erratic. It takes all of my willpower not to throw her over my shoulder and bring her upstairs to my bedroom. Whether she’s feeling the same or suddenly realizes this isn’t practicing, she pulls away. Wiping her mouth. I’d be lying if that doesn’t hurt like a bitch, but I understand.

“I need to go. Practice is over.” She’s in such a hurry to get the hell out of here that she stumbles out the door and forgets her purse. Without her keys, she’s not going anywhere.

I’m totally fucked with this girl.

Taking a few deep breaths, I grab her purse and walk outside. She’s leaning against her car, too afraid to come back inside.

“Did you forget something, poppet?”

Her head snaps up and before she has a chance to scold me for calling her by her childhood name, I dive right in.

“Sorry, old habits are hard to break. Promise it won’t happen again.” Holding up my hands in surrender, she snatches her bag.

Yep, she’s pissed. Hey, not my fault, we have chemistry. Who would have thought? Well, apparently my dick knew, but in his defense he’s been celibate for too long.

“This is wrong on so many levels. Stephanie will never speak to me when I’m wearing the engagement ring that was meant for her. And for what? Just to prove to my co-workers and the world that I’m writing about love and relationships with my fake fiancé? When I say it out loud, I feel so damn stupid.”

I know the last thing she wants is for me to touch her now, but I don’t give a flying fuck. I’m surprised she doesn’t pull away when I glide my hands up and down her arms.

“The ring that you’ll be wearing is my grandmother’s, not the one I bought for Stephaine. I don’t have that one anymore since I tossed it in the lake at Zander’s because I was so fucking angry when she broke up with me. I trust that you’ll give it back since it’s a family heirloom and meant to stay in the family.”

“Of course I’d give it back. Now I really need to get back to work—I think it’s safe to say we don’t need to practice anymore.” Well, she’s right about that, but I sure as hell wouldn’t mind.

“Yeah, that was pretty intense. But remember, practice makes perfect.” She rolls her eyes as she slides into the car, but I catch the slight curve of her lips. Trying to hide her smile. That girl knows. Just as much as I do that we have a connection that has nothing to do with our past and everything to do with our future.

ARIA

My hands are still shaking by the time I get back to work. For the life of me, I don’t know if it’s because of that kiss or worrying about pulling this off. Every time I walk down the halls of this hallowed building, I swear they whisper ‘fraud’, ‘liar’, ‘con artist’ at my retreating back. Most likely it’s the latter since that wasn’t just a kiss. Practice, my ass. He knew exactly what my reaction would be.

Of course, when we were younger I had the biggest crush on my sister’s boyfriend. Why wouldn’t I? He’s hot and an amazing musician, but he only had eyes for my big sister. So I learned early on that it was easier on my impressionable heart to leave that the hell alone. And now I feel like I’m twelve again and have a real shot this time around. I know. I’m delusional. This isn’t real! It’s a ruse. A fake relationship that will end as soon as the dust settles, and my coworkers find their next victim.

Stop it, Aria. Just stop! If Jax is willing to put his life on hold just for you, then the least I can do is be grateful. And if Stephanie is angry then so be it, since she’s the one who broke up with him. For another man, I might add. We’re not doing anything wrong. There. I said it and maybe, just maybe, if I can convince myself, I can get past this hump that’s holding me back.

“Hey, I’ve been looking all over for you. I sent you an SOS text, didn’t you get it?” Sarah asks. Crap, I had my phone turned off and forgot to turn it back on.

“Sorry, phone needs charging.” A little white lie never hurt anyone. “Must be serious if it’s an SOS.”

“Silas called an emergency meeting for four o’clock. He insists that everyone be there. No exceptions. I also had to contact a few that had the day off, so your guess is as good as mine as to what this is all about.”

Whatever it is, can’t be good if Silas wants all of us in the same room together. Normally he’d be afraid we’d kill each other since we don’t always see eye to eye about the articles that we’re passionate to run. The reason we need to meet with him individually to go over everything before sending off the final copy.

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll make sure to charge my phone the second I get to my office.” We say our goodbyes when I push the button, waiting for the elevator.

Everywhere I go, the office is buzzing with excitement. Maybe they know something that I don’t know. I guess I’ll soon find out.

I’m relieved when I finally make it to my office and it’s silent. Sheer bliss. With everything else I have going on, my nerves are shot. My fault, really, since I let Jax talk me into this fake engagement fiasco. I’m starting to get cold feet and afraid by the time Saturday night rolls around, I’ll chicken out. Thank God he’s picking me up so there’s no way he would let me. I can hear him now. “We’ve come this far, and victory is ours if we just see it through.” I wish I had his confidence, but I do trust him. If he says we can pull it off, then we can. And we will.

Now that my pep talk is over, I finish what I was doing before I went to Jax’s for lunch. By the time I’m finished, it’s time to get ready for the meeting. The best part about taking a late lunch is that the afternoon flies by. Didn’t hurt a bit that Jax made it memorable. I’ll need to reflect more on that kiss and how my body betrayed me once I get home tonight.

The corridor’s filled with all of us journalists as we walk down the hall to the boardroom. No doubt it’s standing room only. This is the first time we’ve all gathered together since I started working here.

“Do you know what this is all about, Aria?” Jim from the photo department asks as we walk side by side. Since Silas and I are friends, they automatically think I get all the deets. Far from the truth. We don’t talk about work unless we need to. We swap stories about what we baked over the weekend since we’re both wanna be bakers, but the staff doesn’t know that.

His secret is safe with me.

Silas is front and center as we walk into the room. Just like I thought, packed house. He’s shuffling some papers back and forth, and as always his glasses sit on the tip of his nose. It’s a standing joke between us. I’ve mentioned on several occasions that if he didn’t get them fixed, they were going to fall into his fancy soufflé one day. Causing it to deflate like a lead balloon. He laughs but he makes a killer chocolate one and he’d be pissed.

“Okay everyone. I’ll make this as brief as possible and then you can all get out of here. I apologize to all who had the day off or needed to stay late, but it’s important that I have you all here for this announcement. I’ll get right to the point and then if there are questions, I’ll answer them if I can.” He reaches for a glass of water, takes a sip, and then fixes his glasses. He’s nervous, a telltale sign that he’s about to announce something big.

“As you all know, Glamify is my baby, but I’ve decided to launch a new magazine. Since it’s impossible for me to run both, I’ve hired a mogul from the media industry to run that new project.” Whispers ensue all around, which is normal. We all have questions. When he holds up his hand, a hush falls over the room. “Don’t waste one of your questions trying to find out a name since that will be revealed on Saturday night along with the name of the new magazine that we’re launching. Now you know why we’re having the gala and why I want you all there. No exceptions. All of you are the hub of this magazine and it’s important that you’re there. Okay, that’s it. Any questions?”

Now that it’s over we all want to get the hell out of there. It doesn’t look like that will happen anytime soon. Some want their five minutes of fame, and they think by asking questions the boss will give them an A+ for participation. Then there are the idiots who ask for a name when he clearly mentioned don’t ask. Luckily, Silas knows this too and ends the meeting.